Fans Leave Little Splendor In The Grass At Shea Stadium

NEW YORK — Shortly after the Mets clinched the National League East title Wednesday night, the grass at Shea Stadium looked as if it had been attacked by animals that had not grazed for ages.

The large patches of dirt in the infield and outfield were courtesy of the Mets fans, who had gone 13 years waiting for a title.

Pete Flynn, the head groundskeeper, said damage to the field was considerable, but his crew would have the stadium ready for Thursday's game (won by the Mets, 5-0, over Chicago).

''The infield is a mess,'' Flynn said. ''The whole field looks like it's been bombed.

''It won't be 100 percent, but we'll put it back together, and we'll have the game.''

Flynn and his crew of 20 men and a number of other helpers worked overtime to get the field in shape. He could not immediately determine what the damage done to the field by the Mets' fans would eventually cost the team.

Hundreds of fans in the crowd of 47,823 stampeded the security guards and swarmed onto the field. They remained on the field for about 45 minutes, walking around and stripping patches off the grass.

''It's a sin the way they're ripping the field apart,'' said Thomas Barbieri of Islip, N.Y., as he stood on the rail along the first-base line, as his son, Thomas Jr., 15, was holding a patch of grass in his hands.

One fan was asked how heavy was the grass he was holding near home plate. ''Heavy enough for a memory,'' he said.

In the hallway near the Mets dressing room, third baseman Howard Johnson, armed with a bottle of champagne, turned to a coach, Greg Pavlick.